The discussions happened as Afghanistan board hosted a dinner for both teams and officials.
Meanwhile, India and Afghanistan have played a three-match T20I series at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. The series has been won by India after clinching the first two games, while the last and deciding game of the series will be played on September 17, 2026.
In the course of the event, Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of India’s T20I team, praised the grit of the Afghanistan team along with the strong bond that exists between the two teams. Iyer stated that India enjoys playing against Afghanistan and that their games are always tough since Afghanistan wants to win.
"They are indomitable in their approach, and whenever they step onto the field, they always put up a fight with a smiling face. So, it's obviously a great relationship and interaction that we have with them whenever they come to India, or we meet them at any of the ICC events.
I had a brief interaction with Ibrahim as well yesterday. He was quite hungry and disappointed that they lost the series, but you could see the hunger they had to win. They want to go ahead and improve their skills as much as possible. So yeah, it's always a nice gesture when they come here and perform to the best of their abilities and ensure that they win; they want to win the series. So, I'm glad that we get this opportunity to play with them now and then, and it's a competitive series overall," Iyer said at the event.
Shreyas Iyer lauded India and Afghanistan's strengthening connection, citing the years of support offered by Indian and Afghan fans for both teams. He also praised Afghanistan's skill and talent, stating that continuous victories will boost their confidence and allow them to advance farther in international cricket.
"I want to say that the relationship since the time we've been playing cricket against Afghanistan has blossomed over the years, and the love and support we have been getting from Afghan fans as well, especially when we travel outside for games, has been commendable. My one message is that I don't think we need to give them a message because all of them are so skilled and talented in their own way. It's just that, once they start winning matches, they'll keep building confidence. They are playing at the highest level. We've seen in the past how good they are as a team. It's just a matter of time; once they start winning consistently, they will definitely move up the ranks," he added.
Meanwhile, former Afghanistan captain and veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi stated that Afghan players have always enjoyed playing in India, including in the IPL. They have learned a lot, and his teammates have gotten valuable experience.
"It's helped a lot since 2017. We played in the IPL and started there. Before 2016, we played the World Cup there, and we won one game against the West Indies. The West Indies went on to win the World Cup. It's always a pleasure to play there, and we get a lot of experience from playing in the IPL. We're always really happy to play in India," Nabi stated.
Notably, Afghanistan played their first-ever Test against India in 2018 in Bengaluru. Several notable Afghanistan players have played in the IPL, including Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Azmatullah Omarzai, amongst the few.
(ANI/PTI/IANS inputs)